Learning to Live on Less!

White_Iris

Well I didn't manage to get the cashback but I did get my current provider to drop our home insurance quote by about £7 a month, so not bad.

Still compulsively checking OnePoll - up to £33.50 now but boy is it slow going! Have sorted out some more stuff for eBay but now the pile is looking a bit daunting! Small steps - try to get it photographed today, weighed tomorrow and maybe list some on Saturday.

LianneH

White_Iris wrote: »

I've told him that next month I'm taking control of all the money - I'll leave him a bit in his account for pocket money but otherwise it's all getting transferred in to my account straight away.

Thats exactly what I had to do to get our debt and spending under control!

He was actually quite happy as it kinda took pressure off of him (his words!).

White_Iris

I'm trying to work through our store cupboard/freezer to curb our grocery bill, so I've made a cottage pie for tea using a piece of rump steak from the freezer (only had one portion of mince and I want to save that for lasagne tomorrow) bulked out with half a tin of butter beans. It looks lovely - I'm very pleased with myself!

Free listing on eBay this weekend - yay! I've weighed and photographed lots of stuff and although about half will still only go on for 99p the rest I'll list at higher starting prices, so finger crossed I'll make some more money next week (so far no bids on my current listings).

I've also de-cluttered a bag full of clothes for charity collection this morning and about 50 photographs from our wedding 7years ago (poor quality ones from the table cameras and also drunken ones from my hen weekend!). Scanned them in, saved them and backed up online, then binned. A few days ago I sent DH up to the attic to fetch something and he said it's starting to get crowded up there again. Mostly toys and empty boxes I think but we're going to empty it over the Easter holidays and have another good sort out.

White_Iris

Morning all, hope you all had a nice weekend and any mums had an especially nice Sunday!

Sunday was pretty good here. DH made breakfast and cooked a roast for lunch (all from stores and freezer :money:) and cleaned it up afterwards! He ordered me some flowers but they weren't delivered so he sent a complaint email and almost straight away got one back promising a complimentary bunch of flowers for me today plus a 50% refund on his original order (not sure when those flowers will arrive though!) - I don't mind waiting a day for a discount!

Saturday was also pretty good (especially the rugby ). I managed to get 21 items listed on eBay while DH tried to fix the broken washing machine (I was determinded not to pay another £45 for him to tell me it was something basic) - it's working now although we still don't know for sure what the problem is, except a pair of socks mysteriously appeared in the drum. I'm 95% certain they weren't left in there after the last load so hopefully they had got tangled up in the drum/seal somewhere and that was what was stopping it working.

Since it was free listing weekend I priced everything up by 25% and already I have lots of watchers and a few bids . Only two sales this weekend though, still it's less to take to the post office!

I've also managed to get a few bits de-cluttered via Freecycle and I've got some other things to tidy/throw away/re-house. so I'm pretty happy with that.

Back to the housework now - hoovering :eek:

White_Iris

White_Iris wrote: »

I've been adding up all the money I have pending and I think by the end of the month I should be able to get the emergency savings up to £450 and my savings up to my target of £175. Maybe even add a bit more to the moving pot too! I'm also close (-ish) to a payout from OnePoll (£32.90) so if I get three or four surveys a day I should reach payout by the end of the month or early next month :T

Confession time...I've spent some of my eBay profits Some of it was on a birthday present for my dad, so a legitimate spend, but I'm also bidding on a picture frame on eBay - only about £7 though so not the end of the world! It does mean that I probably won'tbe able to add any more to the moving pot but hopefully I should meet my savings pot target. Only up to £34.05 on OnePoll...soooo slooow!

debtfreewannabe321

HI just catching up! Like lianne I also had to take control of all the money so dh's wages actually get paid into my account now and i transfer money to him each month for mobile & pocket money. Although this month he managed to spend £50 in 4 days (GRRRRR) so next month i think i will divvy up his money and pay him weekly. He really can't be trusted with it *doh* !

xx

White_Iris

Lovely day here this morning, having to keep the little ones indoors for the moment though as our grass is sooo long and still really wet. Hopefully DH can cut it at the weekend - everytime he's been about to get the mower out for the last three weeks it has rained, fingers crossed for a sunny Saturday. Still it means I've been able to peg out the washing and hopefully things will be drier after lunch.

Still no surveys from OnePoll, so near and yet so far :-(

White_Iris

Stupid washing machine has broken (definately broke this time, not just delay start switched on!), so I've had to dip in to the emergency fund to cover repairs. I suppose that's what it's there for but I don't like using it before I've had a chance to build it up properly :-(

We've gone for a manufacturers repair and service. It'll cost £120 but it's guaranteed for a year and it's a fixed fee regardless of how much needs replacing...hopefully by Friday I'll have a fully working machine again.

XSpender

I know it's a pain using your savings when you are trying so hard to build them up but, as you say, that's what they are there for. You will soon top tthem back up. Better than using one of thos plastic little devils.

White_Iris

XSpender wrote: »

I know it's a pain using your savings when you are trying so hard to build them up but, as you say, that's what they are there for. You will soon top tthem back up. Better than using one of thos plastic little devils.

You know I actually considered putting it on a credit card and then paying it off a bit each month rather than use my EMERGENCY SAVINGS for an EMERGENCY :wall: When will I learn!?! I really need to get rid of the credit cards completely to avoid all temptation

Good luck with all your savings targets too XSpender - those pots will be full in no time!